Plastic or Stainless Steel Bottles

Attitudes have accepted that reusable bottles are more environmentally friendly than disposable bottles.But among the 3 options of the most common materials, which is the greenest? A study shows that reusable plastic bottle is more environmentally friendly.

Bottled water is a healthy alternative to soft drinks, and, counting as Australia, the bottled water market is $ 554 million and a huge carbon footprint! In 2006, it took 456,131 barrels of oil to produce all the bottles used by Australians, generating 6,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and almost two thirds ended up in the landfill or in nature.

The logical solution is to invest in a reusable bottle, plastic, stainless steel or aluminum. But they are designed to last as long as possible, so think carefully before choosing to best save our environment.

The preferred choice of campers: bottles and stainless steel. But production itself has a significant impact on the environment. Aluminum production is one of the largest energy consumers, with 14.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2008 in Australia. The steel is not far behind with 7.5 million tonnes.

Research by the University of Melbourne Design Center of Technology Royal Institute of the life cycle of materials used for bottles brought the following results. Aluminum is the worst for water, stainless steel waste generation and the two metals are the worst for global warming, stainless steel, however, generating fewer emissions.

1 plastic bottles (PP) are thick and suitable for multiple use, but are made from non-renewable petroleum products. But if the production uses 8.2% of the total energy in industrial production, it accounts for only 1.4% of carbon dioxide emissions.

In the long term, even with the problems related to production, metal bottles are more profitable than disposable bottles, even recycled. They are also more conducive to recycling, because the garbage recycling not generally includes the type of plastic that most disposable bottles are made. In WaterBottlesShop, clear water bottle is big winner: over 50% of the steel is made of metal releases Revised.

The verdict of the study is simple: plastic reusable bottles are the greenest, with 80% less impact on the environment for the use of water, climate change and waste. They are also more functional and better adapted to our lifestyles. metal ones do not overcome the environmental cost of their production.

Concern remains for plastic bottles containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical for which animal tests have shown that affected the reproductive system, favored heart disease and diabetes. However the organization deciding on supply standards, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, argues that there is no risk, the level of BPA from the plastic to the food product is too low to affect humans. Good news, the reusable plastic bottles made of PP and PET plastic does not contain BPA.